A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Cuba's northwest coast Monday afternoon, delivering a jolt felt across Florida and parts of Mexico in what seismologists say was the region's strongest quake in nearly 150 years.
The US Geological Survey pinpointed the epicenter roughly 65 miles northwest of Mantua, Cuba, at a depth of 16 miles. Despite its considerable power, no deaths, injuries, or major property damage were reported.
The tremor caught Florida residents off guard. Shaking is rare enough in the state that many experienced genuine alarm as their homes and offices swayed unexpectedly.
In Tampa Bay, resident Britnee Jeffries described the moment to local news outlet WFLA. "It was very strong and it was honestly kind of scary," she said. "I wasn't really worried in a sense that I thought it was here because we don't get earthquakes here. But at the same time, I was worried because we don't get them here."
Ruskin resident Barbara German was working upstairs when the shaking began. "It was kind of alarming at first because I really didn't know what it was," she told WTVT.
Bobby Shea, a St Petersburg resident, recounted watching his surroundings shift. "I'm in my chair and it started literally going left and right," Shea told WTVT. "The metals on my walls kept clamping together and I'm like, 'Holy smokes, like this is weird. This is a concrete building.'"
For some, the motion created genuine confusion. Kelsey Pope was working from home on the third floor of her apartment building when the earthquake hit. "I was sitting in my chair working from home when I suddenly felt a distinct shake," she said. "At first, I thought it was just my dog Archie moving around, but then I noticed my desk and even the water in my Nespresso machine sloshing back and forth."
Pope continued, "My whole apartment building was swaying, and since I'm on the third floor, I honestly thought it might collapse. After a couple of minutes, the shaking stopped, and I realized it had been an earthquake."
Across the Caribbean, the earthquake triggered precautionary evacuations in Mexico's Cancún, while neighboring beach towns Playa del Carmen and Tulum also felt significant shaking. Authorities in the Yucatán and Quintana Roo regions activated emergency protocols in public spaces as a precaution.
The US Tsunami Warning Center quickly ruled out any broader threat. "Based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records, the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami," the center stated, adding there was "no tsunami danger" for the US east and southern coasts or eastern coastal Canada.
USGS seismologist Paul Earle explained the rarity of such an event. The last comparable earthquake within 200 miles of Monday's epicenter struck in 1880, when a 6.0-magnitude tremor hit near San Cristóbal, Cuba. That nearly 145-year gap underscores how infrequently this particular region experiences significant seismic activity.
Author James Rodriguez: "A rare reminder that even relatively stable zones can deliver real surprises, and Florida's unprepared residents are learning the hard way why seismic monitoring matters everywhere."
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